Step into the vibrant ambiance of Lucky Danger, a restaurant tucked away in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown. Beyond its glowing silk lanterns lies a hidden sanctuary, where a green curtain unveils a room brimming with mystery and anticipation.
This secretive space pays tribute to the clandestine gambling parlor from the 1998 film “Rush Hour.” However, there’s no money exchanging hands here tonight.
Instead, the thrill for the women encircling the tables is found in unraveling the complexities of Mahjong, the ancient Chinese tile-based game. The excitement peaks when the puzzle falls into place, and a player jubilantly declares victory with the exclamation, “Mahjong!”
Dating back to 19th century China, Mahjong is currently experiencing a remarkable renaissance across the United States. It has captured the attention of celebrities and sparked Mahjong social gatherings nationwide.
This resurgence is heartening news for Mr. Ma, the Mahjong instructor at Lucky Danger. With fond memories of learning the game during his childhood in China, he is thrilled to see it captivating new audiences.
“What fascinates me most is the interest from young people,” remarked Mr. Ma, now 78. “It’s our responsibility to pass this tradition down, and I’m gratified that so many are eager to learn.”
And he is having great success. Ursula Thomas, 53, has won her second game of the evening, and is celebrating with her 28-year-old daughter, Cherrel. On the table next to them, millennial friends Kim, 33, Ara, 33, Zainab, 31, and Lema, 32, are learning so they have a shared hobby. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Cate Stackhouse wants a break from screens.
So far, so wholesome. But this is only part of the story. Because as the game is catapulted to success it has stirred up its fair share of controversy with allegations of cultural appropriation and elitism, with some prepared to drop tens of thousands of dollars for a set of the famous tiles.
Tim Ma is seen teaching a Mahjong class at Lucky Danger
As the game is catapulted to success it has stirred up its fair share of controversy
‘The most interesting thing is the young people are interested,’ said Mr Ma, 78
Today, the market for Mahjong accessories is booming. The bijou pastel hues and delicate designs of a starter set from the Dallas-based Mahjong retailer Oh My Mahjong will set you back at least $665. For extravagant players, you can spend $41,000 on an Hermès set and pay a private teacher $1,000 an hour to coach you.
And where there’s high stakes there’s cheating. Earlier this year social media was abuzz with tales of ‘Barbara the Mahjong cheat.’ Barbara stood accused of ruining the game for the Florida retirement community of which she was a member, after a content creator posted video of her mother bemoaning the otherwise unidentified Barbara’s nefarious tactics.
‘We’re done with her,’ she said in the clip that racked up millions of views. ‘We’re not playing with the cheater anymore.’
From retirement communities in Florida, to hip New York social clubs and genteel drawing rooms of Dallas to the TikTok feeds of Gen Z influencers, Mahjong is everywhere.
Eventbrite last year reported a 179 percent increase in Mahjong-related events listed on its site between 2023 and 2024. Meghan Markle played with her ‘Maj Squad’ on an episode of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, while other celebrity fans include Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts and Blake Lively.
The scene at Lucky Danger reflects all the reasons Mahjong is experiencing this surge in popularity. The 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians introduced the game to a whole new generation, then the post-Covid desire for connection sent it into the stratosphere.
‘It is a beautiful game that uses your brain, makes you have to be present, and builds a community,’ said Megan Trottier, founder of the Dallas-based Oh My Mahjong company, which produces tiles and other Mahjong accessories.
‘It’s the antidote of the AI, of the computer, of the phone.’
Lucky Danger player, Stackhouse, agreed, telling the Daily Mail: ‘More people are getting into these analog kinds of hobbies.’
There are essentially two versions of Mahjong played in America today. There is the original version of game – taught by Mr Ma – which originated in the mid-1800s in the Yangtze River Delta, before spreading across China. Four people play with 144 tiles, dealing and trading tiles to create sets and a winning hand.
Then there is American Mahjong. Mahjong was introduced to the US in 1920s by a businessman called Joseph Babcock who had been traveling in China. It became particularly popular with Jewish women, and the rules started to deviate from the original Chinese game.
Mr Ma teaches Ara, 33, Zainab, 31, and Lema, 32. They are learning so they have a shared hobby
Ursula Thomas 53, had won her second game of the evening
From retirement communities in Florida, to hip New York social clubs and genteel drawing rooms of Dallas to the TikTok feeds of Gen Z influencers, Mahjong is everywhere
Kim and Lema are seen playing Mahjong at Lucky Danger
In 1937, a group of Jewish women in New York City set up the National Mah Jongg League, standardized the rules and started issuing a card setting out the winning hands. Each spring, the League issues a new card with new winning combinations.
American Mahjong is also played with more tiles – at least 152 – and there are other variations on the original game, but the main difference is the existence of a card which must be purchased to play.
For Viveca Chow, an actress and Mahjong content creator, that cost barrier goes against the original communal spirit of the game, even though the cards only cost $15.
‘The spirit of the original game is really accessibility, inclusivity, community,’ said Chow, 31. ‘It’s not $1, it’s not $15, but the fact that you have to pay to play.’
Chow, whose family is from Hong Kong, grew up surrounded by the sounds of clicking Mahjong tiles but only learned to play three years ago.
While she did not intend to start posting content about Mahjong, a few months ago she saw the poster for a new Hallmark movie, All’s Fair in Love & Mahjong.
With its frothy pink background, Mahjong tiles featuring flowers and birds, and white romantic leads, Chow wondered where the Asian representation was in a film about a game with a Chinese origin.
‘I was like, this feels icky, I’m an actor, where was my audition?’ she said, so she posted a video referencing the film and explaining the Chinse origins of the game.
She was not the only person who noticed: other prominent Asian Americans took to social media to denounce the film.
A similar backlash had greeted the 2021 launch of a range of tiles from another Texas-based producer, The Mahjong Line. Their founders proposed a ‘respectful refresh’ of Mahjong — which appeared to mean removing any Asian iconography from the tiles.
The three main suits in Chinese Mahjong are circles, bamboo and Chinese numbers. Many of the sets produced by The Mahjong Line have no Chinese characters on them, nor any Asian iconography. On their ‘Ranch’ line, the circles are replaced by horseshoes, the bamboo by cacti, and the Chinese characters by a ranch. That set retails at $485.
For some players, Mahjong has become a lifestyle trend, a theme around which you can base your interior décor, or a prop for chichi cocktail parties.
‘Where’s that respect, when you say that you really respect this game, but you’re changing the visual identity?’ said Chow, who offers free Mahjong tutorials on her social media feeds.
‘You are taking something and stripping it of its identity and then making profit off of it.’
Chow (pictured), whose family is from Hong Kong, grew up surrounded by the sounds of clicking Mahjong tiles but only learned to play three years ago
‘It is a beautiful game that uses your brain, makes you have to be present, and builds a community,’ said Megan Trottier (pictured), founder of Dallas-based Oh My Mahjong
There are essentially two versions of Mahjong played in America today. There is the original version of game – taught by Mr Ma – which originated in the mid-1800s
‘It’s our duty to pass this on to the younger people, so I’m glad so many people are wanting to learn,’ Ma said. (Zainab is seen holding her Mahjong tiles)
The Mahjong Line did issue an apology and promised to ‘learn and grow’ but they still have sets which make no reference to the original Chinese game. Neither the Mahjong Line nor Hallmark responded to a request from the Daily Mail for an interview.
Megan Trottier from Oh My Mahjong said all their tiles retain the Chinese characters, and while their sets are geared towards American Mahjong players, their newest tile sets can be used for Chinese or American Mahjong.
‘We put it on our boxes, the history of Mahjong, we try to educate where we can, that’s a super important part of the culture to us,’ Trottier said.
But even within American Mahjong, splits are emerging. The National Mah Jongg League has retained a hold over the game, despite its old school approach: its website looks like it was designed in the 1990s and there is no email contact, just a phone and fax number.
Last spring, that approach faltered when there was a misprint in the cards issued to its hundreds of thousands of members, sending American Mahjong players spiraling into confusion when they tried to play their winning hands.
So, this year, competition has emerged, with both Oh My Mahjong and the Mahjong Line launching their own competing card with winning hands.
‘It’s going to change the Mahjong community, and it’s also dividing the mahjong community,’ a Mahjong teacher who goes by the name Neil Neil Orange Peel said on a video posted on Facebook. ‘They’re opening up a big can of worms.’
All this controversy is, however, of little interest to Mr Ma at Lucky Danger. He simply chuckles while surveying the cartoonish designs and prices of some American Mahjong sets.
‘We bought everything from Amazon, nothing special, you can buy this set for about 50 bucks!’ he says with a laugh while gesturing to the table. And the eight women earnestly studying their tiles and their instruction sheets appreciate his down-to-earth approach.
‘With the expensive tiles, it doesn’t really help with the game, at that point you’re just making it a little cult-y,’ said Zainab, 31. ‘I just like this: plastic tiles and just having fun.’
